Chakotay and Holly had been walking for the past three hours in search of a sign, any sign that they were getting closer to being rescued from their current predicament. Holly continued to use the tricorder sparingly, only turning it on every 30 minutes to gage the pollution levels of the atmosphere. As they continued their way through the thick foliage of the forest, Chakotay could see signs of something more troublesome. He could tell that Holly was beginning to give up. She appeared to be laboring physically, although they have not come upon any difficult terrain to cause such fatigue. Chakotay suspected she was feeling a bit depressed. For his part, Chakotay made small talk, asking about her friends, or lack thereof, and her hobbies. He tried to keep her mind off the fact they were stranded on this planet with little hope of leaving any time soon.
Holly glanced at the chronometer on her wrist and decided it was a good time to turn the tricoder back on and check their surroundings. As she did, the tricoder whirred to life, the lights bright and blinking on and off as the instrument downloaded and recorded the data it had been programmed to catalogue. At first, Holly thought it was going to be an uneventful data-read when to her surprise the tricoder began chirping.
"What's going on, Holly?" Chakotay realized the tricoder was reading something it apparently had not detected the previous time it had been used.
"Im detecting a large increase in atmospheric pollutants. It also appears that we are literally on the edge of the forest. 1.5 kilometers straight ahead is the edge of the tree-line. We can probably reach it in a matter of a few minutes!" Holly was very excited at the turn of events.
"Great news. Now remember what we talked about earlier. We need to filter what information we give out to anyone we may encounter. That is, if we encounter anyone at all. Does the tricorder read any life signs yet?" Chakotay asked.
"Its too hard to tell professor. The forest is rather thick, there are life signs but it could simply be animals, and not humanoids that it has picked up on." Holly continued to analyze the data spewing forth from the tricoder.
Chakotay and Holly continued on their way toward the edge of the forest. Holly had more spring in her step and Chakotay's mind actively tried to process their current situation. He knew he needed help if he was ever going to get off this planet. Chakotay just hoped that there would be someone here willing and able to help them. First contact situations often went really well, or really NOT well. He knew they could ill afford a negative first contact situation.
Within 30 minutes the two trekkers managed to weave their way through the dense foliage to the edge of a large expanse. The two of them stood in awe at the sight before them. As far as the eye could see, was a vast valley with rolling green hills. Rivers and lakes could also be seen in the distance. Chakotay scanned the horizon, desperate to find some sign of civilization. He put both hands up over his eyes, to shield him from the glare of the sun and swirling mass of plasmic clouds in the sky.
"Sir, look off to your left. Is that a smoke plumb? Can you see it? Just past that second hill. The one with the lone tree atop it." Holly was straining to see as she spoke. Chakotay turned and looked in the direction Holly had given. Sure enough, a small spiral of smoke was visible.
"That is definitely not natural. That smoke had to have been made by someone, and we are going to find out who." Chakotay had a definite edge to his voice. Holly silently hoped that whoever it is they find that they are friendly. She didn't want to have to run and hide back in the forest. That was the last place she ever wanted to find herself again.
It took no time at all for Chakotay and Holly to make their way down to the valley. The two of them approached the primitive-looking camp slowly, but without hesitation. Chakotay did not want to appear hostile, but he also didn't want to show fear or weakness. He had no idea who these people were or how they would react to their presence. When they were within the camp site, Chakotay decided it would be best to call out to whoever lived there rather then go knocking on the tent doors.
"Hello? Hello? Is there someone here we can talk with?" Chakotay called out hoping they could hear him.
A few seconds later a man, woman and small child came out of the tent. They had a look of momentary surprise at their unexpected guests. The wife turned to her husband and said something audibly but neither Chakotay nor Holly knew the language. It took a couple of minutes but soon Holly and Chakotay's universal translators adjusted to the alien language and translated it into English.
"Im telling you, they are visitors!" The woman said to the man at her side. "Look at their clothes, they are definitely not from here."
"I guess your right." The man agreed.
"We come in peace." Chakotay said before making mental note that he must have heard that line a 100 times in Tom Paris' cheesy holonovels.
The couple turned to Chakotay and Holly and smiled. "Welcome to Starfire." The woman said. "My name is Fryna and this is my husband Grabin. And this little guy is our son Akem."
"It's very nice to meet you all. My name is Chakotay, and this is, Holly."
"Ah, are you two a mated pair?" Grabin asked.
"No." Both Chakotay and Holly stated in unison. Then Chakotay continued, "We are friends and colleagues. We work together."
"Ah, I see." Fryna gave a bright smile and nod to the two of them. "Have you come here by accident?"
Chakotay was a little taken aback by the question but answered honestly, "Yes, we crashed landed some distance from here. We have been traveling for days in search of other people who might be able to assist us in returning home."
"Home?" Grabin asked.
"Yes, we are from Earth. We were sent into this region of space to perform research on another planet but crashed unexpectedly here...on StarFire?" Chakotay said.
"Starfire. Yes, that is the name of this planet. It will be your new home, much like it is home to all who live here." Fryna stated matter-of-factly.
"What are you talking about?" Holly asked.
"Its very simple. There are thousands who inhabit this world. We have all originated from different places, different planets but have come here. Everyone who originally comes here, does so by accident. However, once here, you are here to stay. There is no way to leave. Believe me, there is a long history of people attempting to leave. It has become part of our culture. In fact, last week we celebrated Arrival-Day. Its a wonderful festival where everyone comes together and tell stories of their ancestors. We all try and maintain as much of our original culture as we can but as time goes by, generation after generation, there is a lot of mixing between species. Cultures have become blended over time." Fryna was very pleased being able to educate her visitors. She was proud of their way of life and wanted Chakotay and Holly to integrate into it as soon as possible. She had seen many people transition from desperation, desperation to leave and return home, to denial and eventually acceptance of the fate that had befell them. Ultimately, everyone assimilated into daily life, and came to accept their fate.
"So what you're saying is that we are stuck here?" Holly's voice raised a full octave.
Chakotay gave Holly a sharp look and then said:
"What she's trying to say is that we don't have any intention in making Starfire our home. We want to go back to Earth and reunite with our family and friends."
"That's to be expected. But it's simply not possible. For centuries travelers from all over this region of space have been crashing on Starfire. There have been many attempts to reach out to anyone that could help, however it has been met with zero success. Its now the policy of everyone on Starfire to refuse to assist newly stranded ones in their efforts to leave. You are not here as hostages, please don't misunderstand me, but no one here has the time, energy or resources to assist in efforts that have no chance of success. If you want to try and contact your people to come and help you, that's your business. But you wont get any help from us." Fryna was not upset, but simply direct. Chakotay thought that she must have had to deal with many stranded individuals over the many years she has spent on Starfire.
"We understand your position. Can we ask that you please help us with our rations? Maybe show us how to find fresh water, healthy and safe plants to eat during our travels?" Chakotay asked.
"Of course! Everyone is pretty helpful around here. We just wont help you do something that's a waste of time." Grabin said with a huge smile on his face. He was apparently happy that neither Chakotay or Holly attempted to beg for help with communications to the outside world. "For now, why don't you join us for dinner. You can spend the night and then move on in the morning if you see fit to do so."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you. Your hospitality is very kind." Chakotay thanked them. He then turned to Holly and said: "Why don't we go and get cleaned up for dinner." The two of them followed Fryna to a separate tent on the opposite side of the camp area.
"You two can share this tent. There is plenty of room for you, and it'll give you some privacy while you stay with us. There is a little area to shower and use the lavatory behind each tent." Fryna informed them. She gave them both a quick glance, from head to toe, and then smiled. Fryna then shook her head and said under breath: "Not together? Huh." She then turned a walked away as she too prepared for dinner.
After dinner was over with, the host family went to their own sleeping tents and went to rest for the following work day. Chakotay and Holly also went to their sleeping tent as they were unsure of what tomorrow would bring them them. As they both lay there trying to will sleep to come and take them away from this reality, Chakotay began to think of all the things back on Earth he was going to miss. Emotion began to well up inside him as he thought about Miral Paris. She was going to grow up and never get to know him. He was going to miss his friends as they moved on with their lives. None of them would ever know what had befallen him. They would all assume he had died. Yet there he was, full of life, wanting desperately to go home and see them all again.
It was one thing to be stranded in the Delta quadrant when he was surrounding by friends who became his family. It was something entirely different to now lose that new family and be stranded here virtually alone. Chakotay had wanted to get back to Earth when he was stuck on Voyager. He had wanted to see his sister again and return to his family's home. But there aboard Voyager he had Kathryn. She was his Captain. She was his best friend and confidant. She knew him better then anyone else in his entire life. He had opened up his heart to her even though he never thought he could do that. Kathryn however never really showed her love for him. He knew she loved him, but he wasn't entirely sure she was IN love with him. They flirted countless times aboard Voyager. He even thought she had opened her heart to him somewhat while on New Earth. But she always managed to squash all his hopes and dreams of being together, just as it seemed he was making progress. Was there even a point in trying to leave Starfire? Chakotay wasn't entire sure he would want to return to earth if he couldn't have Kathryn. Maybe it would be easier this way. Maybe Fryna was right after all, what Holly and he needed to do was assimilate into society here on Starfire and be happy, move on with their lives. There were plenty of opportunities here. As his heart and mind were softening to the idea of making Starfire their new home, sleep overtook Chakotay. He felt that familiar weightlessness that signaled the beginning of his dreams. How would his new state of mind affect his dreams tonight? Chakotay had no idea, in fact he didn't really care. He just wanted to sleep.
In the morning, Chakotay woke up in the exact position he remembered falling asleep in. He was laying on his back with a sheet covering him. It had not appeared that he moved at all during the night. He also couldn't recall his dreams. Maybe he didn't have any dreams last night, he thought to himself. That would be the first time since he landed on Starfire he had not seen Kathryn in his dreams. A twinge of sadness gripped him. He really missed Kathryn. He longed to see her, to feel her touch and hear her voice. Chakotay cursed to himself, upset that he couldn't move on even though logically he knew he needed to do just that.
"Sir? You ok?" Holly was standing next to him with a concerned look on her face.
"Huh? Oh, yah. You and I need to have a talk this morning." Chakotay informed her.
"Does this have anything to do with last night?" Holly asked.
"What happened last night?" Chakotay answered her question with one of his own.
"Well, sir, you were...uh...crying?" Holly looked down at the ground and then tentatively back up into Chakotay's face as he didn't immediately respond.
"I was? I must have been sleeping. I don't even remember having a dream last night." Chakotay was being honest with Holly. He didn't recall anything from last night.
"Well you were asleep. That much I could tell. And you were definitely dreaming. You kept talking to Kathryn. Not exactly sure who that is, but you were pretty upset. I'm assuming she was your captain you've talked about in the past." Holly said.
"Do you remember what I was talking about? Be specific if you can. I have been having dreams that feel more like reality then normal dreams. Almost like Im actually communicating with...certain people...rather then simply dreaming." Chakotay really wanted to figure out what was going on and why he had no memory of last night.
"You were talking to this Kathryn woman. You were telling her that you had given up. You said you knew you would never make it off this planet. There was no one to help us and maybe it was better this way. Then you pulled out an envelop from your jacket pocket, read it and started to softly cry. I debated to wake you up but wasn't really comfortable doing it." Holly said
"The envelope." Chakotay rushed over to his jacket and frantically searched for it. "Its not here. Did you see what I did with it?"
"You sat straight up in bed, handed it to me and then collapsed back down and slept silently the rest of the night." Holly took the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Chakotay. She then added, "And no, I didn't read it. I figured it wasn't really any of my business."
With a shaking hand, Chakotay reached for the envelope and took it from Holly. He slowly turned and walked over to the opposite side of the sleeping area and sat on the floor opening the letter as he did. The letter was short and written in Kathryn's hand. What it said was short but extremely to the point and cut through him like a phase rifle. The letter simply stated:
Dear Chakotay:
Please come back to me as soon as you can. I have been doing a lot of thinking about us. I love you with all my heart and I cant imagine my life without you. Once you're back from your mission, I don't ever want to be away from you again. I understand this may come as a shock to you, and honestly it should have been said in person...face to face, but I love you and the thought of losing you scares me more then death itself. Hurry home to me.
Love Kathryn
Chakotay slumped down onto his side and silently allowed his emotions to escape. Holly was unsure of what to say or do, so she turned around and left the sleeping tent. Once outside, Holly looked around and tried to come up with something to keep herself busy. She decided that research would suit the current situation well, and turned on her tricorder. She began by exploring the camp itself and then moved to the surrounding area. Holly hoped to find something that may assist with getting she and Chakotay off this planet.
Chakotay remained still on the floor as he felt himself falling asleep. He felt spent after his emotional breakdown and desperately wanted to sleep. He hoped that he might be able to dream about Kathryn again. In his heart he knew he wasn't simply dreaming. He knew he and Kathryn were sharing their dreams of New Earth and it was time for him to make contact with her. He didn't know how long their shared dreams would last, and he needed to let her know where he was.
"Kathryn! Kathryn!" She could hear her name being called from far off in the distance. As she looked up she could make out a human form coming toward her. Kathryn stood up and walked in the direction of the voice. As she got closer, the form started to take on a familiar shape. It couldn't be, Kathryn thought to herself.
"Chakotay? Is that you? But I thought you were..." Kathryn began to say as she began to run toward Chakotay.
"Dead?" Chakotay ran the last few remaining steps as they crashed into each other's arms. They hugged each other tight and remained in a locked embrace. Eventually, Kathryn took a step back. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at Chakotay in disbelief.
"I thought you had died? I was just standing over your burned body. You weren't breathing. You had cuts and broken bones...I...you..." Kathryn was obviously confused and torn between what she just saw, and what she was looking at now.
"Im not dead. Some how we are communicating with each other. Im not sure what's going on myself. I keep dreaming about you, Kathryn. Each time I get a little closer and a little closer but I always wake up before Im ready." Chakotay said.
"I have been having the same trouble. Every night I look forward to seeing you in my dreams, but lately the dreams have become increasingly real and increasingly desperate. I hoped against hope that I was not going insane. I wanted you to be alive so much I felt that maybe I was making all this up in my own mind. Honestly, I still could be, but this seems so real to me." Kathryn shook her head.
"Kathryn, Im alive. I desperately want to come home to you but I have no way to get back to you." Chakotay said.
"Why, tell me where you are. I can come for you. I can get everyone back together and we can save you!" Kathryn was desperate for information as she knew she could awake at any minute.
"That's just it, I don't know. Im...oh no I can feel myself waking up." Chakotay didn't want to leave Kathryn just yet. "It might be better for us, Kathryn." Chakotay started to say.
"What do you mean? Better...Chakotay read your letter! Read the letter I wrote for you!" Kathryn was fading from view.
"Kathryn, I..." Chakotay started to say as he began to vanish from Kathryn's view.
"READ the LETTER!" Kathryn screamed as she sat straight up in her bed. Breathlessly she swung her legs out of bed and rushed over to the computer. Kathryn frantically typed in the needed information to contact B'Elanna.
Within a few minutes time, B'Elanna's face flashed onto the computer screen. She looked tired but not unhappy to see Kathryn.
"Hello Captain! You ok?" B'Elanna smiled, concerned for her friend.
"Yes, Im fine. I have had another "dream", only now Im sure its not really a dream. I have been communicating with Chakotay all along and he now knows he has with me. Do you have everything in place that we need to rescue Chakotay?" Kathryn asked.
"Yes, just a few minor details to get sorted out." B'Elanna yawned.
"Good. I'll be there in a few hours. We need to get everyone to your house by 0800 hours and get moving. I don't know how much time we have before it's too late." Kathryn said.
"Did Chakotay say anything about his current location? Or if he was in some kind of danger?" B'Elanna wanted answers she could work with.
"No, not eactly. I don't think he is in any immediate danger but emotionally and mentally I fear he may be giving up. He sounded defeated, B'Elanna. When have we ever heard him sound like that?" Kathryn asked.
"You're right. He's never defeated. Come as soon as you can, Captain. I'll have everyone here and ready." B'Elanna cut transmission and rushed off to get everything ready as promised.
"Tom! We have a lot of work to do. Get up and help me!" B'Elanna called out to her husband with a this-is-not-a-request tone in her voice.
It was precisely 0800 hours as Kathryn checked her watch while standing on the doorstep of the Paris home.
Kathryn rang the door chime outside the Paris' apartment. It took mere seconds for the door to open and Kathryn could see the apartment was full of her old crew. Harry, Seven of Nine, Tom, B'Elanna and even the Doctor was there to greet her as she came inside. Emotions welled up inside Kathryn as she realized they were all together again under one roof, working toward a common goal. The only one missing was Tuvok. Kathryn figured that B'Elanna would not ask him to come along as he would not see the logic in what they were doing. Attempting an entire mission on the basis of "dreams", wouldn't set to well with an all logical Vulcan. Kathryn stepped inside and started making quick small talk with everyone in attendance before getting down to business when there came a knock at the door.
"I'll get it B'Elanna." Kathryn said as she reached for the door.
To Kathryn's surprise, Tuvok was standing there with his typical emotionless face waiting to be let inside.
"Tuvok! Oh I wasn't sure you'd be coming." Kathryn said as she reached out and gave her friend a hug, one that was received with as much emotion and warmth as a uniform hanging on a coat hanger.
"It's only logical I would be included in such a mission, Captain. Someone needed to be here to provide assistance, and logic to the situation." Tuvok said without a hint of sarcasm or comedy.
"You're absolutely right my friend. Come on in and help us 'logic' our way through this situation." Kathryn showed Tuvok inside and shut the door.
"Ok everyone, I need your attention." Kathryn decided it was time to take on the captain role once again. "Im pleased you have all decided to come and help me rescue Chakotay. As you may know, I have been in contact with him during my dreams. I know how this sounds, but we have been in many more difficult and less likely situations in the past. If anyone has any objections, please say them now. Once this mission is underway, there is no turning back." Kathryn looked around the room at her former crew.
"Captain, I believe I would be remiss if I didn't mention the serious dangers that await us in the Dorian system. Also, basing an entire mission on dreams and emotional experiences is not only illogical, but dangerous." Tuvok stated.
"I have to agree with Tuvok, Captain. However, I am willing to come along so I can help save you all from yourselves." The Doctor said in his typical sarcastic bedside manner everyone had grown accustomed to.
"Very well. All objections have been noted. Now let's get to work. We have a lot of stuff to work out before we leave." Kathryn was feeling great. Invigorated by the mission and being in command once again. The only difference was she didn't have Chakotay at her side, to calm her down and put her at ease, as he knew just what to say to her at the exact time she needed to hear it. Not having him here tore her up inside, motivating Kathryn to push through all of her own self-doubt.
The former Voyager crew sat down and discussed a plan. They worked nonstop for hours and just like in the good-old-days, they had it all worked out to everyone's satisfaction. Everyone was prepared to leave the following morning. The crew transported themselves to a nearby hanger where they boarded a ship Tom was able to borrow from the Starfleet testing center. He arranged, with the help of Admiral Paris, to "test fly" the new concept starship in an "unofficial" Starfleet mission. Tom had been head of the department responsible for building the ship and he was very familiar with all aspects of this prototype. Tom thought all the new technology aboard would suit them well if needed. Within an hour of arriving, the crew had loaded all supplies and finished all diagnostic checks needed for take-off.
"Is everyone in their positions?" Kathryn asked with full authority behind her words.
"Aye sir!" Everyone said in return.
"Tom, set course for the Dorian system. Maximum warp. Let's bring our family home." Kathryn commanded.
"Course set. Maximum warp ma'am." Paris said as he smiled to himself. How many times he had said those exact words in the past. He never really thought he would say them again, but here he was back at the helm, piloting for THE Kathryn Janeway. Tom was happy, and as he looked around the ship's bridge, he could see that he was not alone.